On paper, it’s the perfect rivalry, a throwback to 2011 when Cam Newton was selected first by the Panthers, and Von Miller was taken second by the Broncos. A freakishly athletic quarterback vs. a freakishly athletic pass rusher. The star of the league’s top scoring offense vs. the star of the league’s top-ranked defense.

Problem is, it’s not a rivalry, Miller said. Miller is a fan of Newton more than anything.

Unclear how this happened or why, but it did. The grounds crew at Levi’s Stadium initially painted the Broncos’ logo on the wrong end zone, giving them the visitor’s side when they’re the home team this year.

Photos taken of the field in progress show a faint Broncos logo in the end zone that has since been painted in black in blue for the Panthers.

Annabel Bowlen addresses the crowd after the Broncos won the AFC championship over the Patriots last Sunday. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Longtime Broncos owner Pat Bowlen wasn’t on the podium last Sunday when the confetti rained down at Sports Authority Field and the team was presented with the Lamar Hunt trophy. In his place, his wife Annabel and his children stood alongside coach Gary Kubiak and Broncos players to accept the trophy from Jim Nantz and thank the more than 77,000 fans in attendance.

Physically, Pat Bowlen, who purchased the team in 1984 but stepped down a year-and-a-half ago because of Alzheimer’s, wasn’t there. But in every other sense he was and still is.

The Bowlen-led Broncos paid for all employees — full-timers, part-timers and interns — to travel to Super Bowl 50, just as they did in 2014, when the team advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII.

“It’s a huge expense, but it buys you a lot of goodwill and equity with people and makes people feel good about working for Mr. Bowlen,” Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said. “So many staff members are in a working capacity when they go to the Super Bowl, but at least their families get to come out and enjoy it, because it is a special moment and it is a difficult game to get to from a team standpoint.”

Peyton Manning after the Broncos’ AFC championship victory over the Patriots. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Your Super Bowl 50 prop bets, courtesy of MyTopSportsbooks.com. If you’re wise, you’re betting on Peyton Manning to become a rapper with his brother, Eli:

Odds to win Super Bowl 50:
Carolina: 10/21
Denver: 7/4

Over-under on the final score: 45.5
Over-under on the score after the first quarter: 9.5
Over-under on the score at halftime: 22.5
Odds on the Super Bowl going to overtime: 7/1
Odds the Super Bowl winner returns to the Super Bowl next season: 7/3

The Broncos have been to the Super Bowl seven times in their storied history, earning six of those in the Pat Bowlen era (since 1984). Denver captured back-to-back world championships, in 1997 and 1998, to close out John Elway’s career, and have returned to the big game once since then, in a loss many fans would like to forget.

As the Broncos prepare to host the Steelers in a divisional playoff game to begin their latest quest for a Lombardi Trophy, here’s a look back at their previous Super Bowl covers in The Denver Post:

Peyton Manning looks to pass during the Broncos’ Week 1 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

The Ray Rice scandal. The Greg Hardy case. The Adrian Peterson saga. Deflategate. The revival of Spygate. And now Headsetgate. The NFL has had arguably one of its worst years with its handling of player discipline and with the public perception of its commissioner.

But the negative press has hardly taken a toll on the bottom line of the NFL and its 32 franchises. In fact, it could be argued that the publicity — negative or otherwise — has only driven up their value.

Forbes magazine released its 18th annual NFL team valuations on Monday, revealing that the average team is worth $1.97 billion, 38 percent more than last year. Much of it is due to the NFL’s TV ratings — the 32 teams shared $4.4 billion in national broadcasting revenue last season — and the NFL’s varied media platforms.

“Late in my career, that was my best friend, the running game. And I think that running game will be Peyton’s best friend, also,” Elway said. “It’s obviously going to be a little bit of an adjustment, but you got two smart, bright offensive football minds that are competitive and want to win. There was never, ever a thought in my mind that this wasn’t going to work.”

Despite their failed attempt at repeating world champs in February, the Seahawks are favored by Bovada LV to return to their third straight Super Bowl in 2016 and win their second Lombardi Trophy.

The Broncos, whose 2014-15 season ended with a divisional playoff loss to the Colts, have been given the sixth-best odds (14/1) to win it all, behind Seattle (11/2), Green Bay (7/1), New England (15/2), Indianapolis (8/1) and Dallas (10/1).

A couple weeks after Super Bowl LXIX — before it was announced that Peyton Manning would return, and before free agency and the draft — Bovada posted 14/1 odds of the Broncos winning it all in 2016, a tie for fifth-best with the Colts.

At the Patriots’ 1-yard line with 26 seconds remaining and one timeout left, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson opted to throw instead of handing off the ball to Lynch. The pass, intended for Ricardo Lockette, was picked off by New England rookie Malcolm Butler, sealing the Patriots’ victory.

After the game, Lynch told Jim Trotter that he wasn’t surprised he didn’t get the ball on the final play “because we play football. It’s a team sport.” But in an interview with Turkish sports network NTV Spor, he admitted he was among the millions who expected a different outcome:

“To be honest with you, I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I was expecting the ball. Yes, I was expecting the ball. But in life, these things happen. Like I told a reporter after the game, it’s a team sport.

“I had no problem with the decision of the playcalling. I mean, you know … I think it was more of a … how do I say this? When you look at me, and you let me run that ball in … I am the face of the nation. You know, MVP of the Super Bowl … that’s pretty much the face of the nation at that point of time. I don’t know what went into that call. I mean, maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t get the ball. I mean, you know, it cost us the Super Bowl. I mean, I have full … I have full confidence in my teammates to execute that plan because we’ve done it so many more times. But would I love to had the ball in? Yes, I would have.

When the Super Bowl ended two weeks ago, the Broncos had the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl in 2016 at 8-to-1.

The uncertainty of Peyton Manning, the possible reduction in receiving talent and a lack of gambler confidence has dropped the Broncos below the Indianapolis Colts and into a fifth-place tie with the Dallas Cowboys at 12-to-1, according to the Las Vegas Westgate Super Book.

“The early going, the Broncos aren’t getting much support from anyone as far as the money coming in,” said Jay Kornegay, Westgate’s vice president of race and sports operations. “Even if Manning does come back, at this stage in his career he has to be 100 percent healthy or very close to that to be effective. His health, his weapons that surround him and lack of public support are the three main ingredients for the Broncos (odds) slowly creeping up there.”

Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin said “all of us are surprised” by their decision to throw on their final offensive possession of Super Bowl XLIX. (Matt Rourke, The Associated Press)

The Seahawks’ decision to throw on their final offensive possession — the one that resulted in a Malcolm Butler interception and a Patriots Super Bowl victory — will be questioned for months, if not longer. But those watching weren’t the only ones surprised by the call.

Here’s what some Seahawks players had to say after the game when asked about that play:

Richard Sherman, CB
“I’m a little bit surprised. It was an unfortunate play. Their guy made a heck of a play and that’s all you can ask for.

“What I would have done is irrelevant at this time. We went with that play. We trusted our quarterback, and unfortunately they made a play.”

Doug Baldwin, WR
“You saw it. Unfortunate series of events.

“All of us are surprised. In that moment with 20 seconds left on the clock and we still had a timeout. We felt like, from what I understand, we should take a shot, and still have another down. If we ran the ball and didn’t get in then we had to stop the clock and it would limit our abilities to run or pass. I don’t know I am just trying to come up with an explanation for it. I really don’t know.”

Bruce Irvin, LB
“We had it. I don’t understand how you don’t give it to the best back in the league on not even the one-yard line. We were on the half-yard line, and we throw a slant. I don’t know what the offense had going on, what they saw. I just don’t understand.”

Malcolm Butler of the Patriots intercepts a pass intended for Seattle’s Ricardo Lockette on second-and-goal in the waning seconds. (Rob carr, Getty Images)

Some have already been deemed it the worst call in Super Bowl history. Trailing by four on second-and-goal with 26 seconds left in the game, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson targeted receiver Ricardo Lockette up the middle, instead of handing off to Marshawn Lynch.

Why did Wilson throw it instead of letting Seattle’s speedy and powerful back run it in? It’s the question everyone wanted answered after the game, and head coach Pete Carroll attempted to do so. Multiple times.

Only even he failed to find logic in the baffling play. The more he tried to explain, the less sense he made. We parsed his post-game quotes — as many as we could find — hoping there was a reasonable explanation buried in his comments. No such luck:

“Let me just tell you what happened because as you know, the game comes right down and all the things that happened before are meaningless to you now. It’s really what happened on this one sequence that we would have won the game, we have everything in mind, how we’re going to do it, we’re going to leave them no time, and we had our plays to do it. We sent in our personnel, they sent in goal line. It’s not the right matchup for us to run the football, so on second down we throw the ball really to kind of waste that play. If we score we do, if we don’t, then we’ll run it in on third and fourth down. Really, with no second thoughts or no hesitation in that at all. And unfortunately, with the play that we tried to execute, the guy makes a great play and jumps in front of the route and makes an incredible play that nobody would ever think he could do. And unfortunately that changes the whole outcome.”

“Really the way the route generally works is the back receiver gets shielded off so that the play can get thrown to the guy trailing. And it’s worked really well, it’s been a really nice concept but they jumped it, did a fantastic job. I don’t know if they prepared to do that or he did it on his own, but it was a great play.”

“We were going to run the ball in to win the game but not on that down. That was it.”Read more…

Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the trophy ceremony after defeating the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 to win Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen, Getty Images)

Unlikely star. Seattle’s Chris Matthews made the biggest catch by an unknown player since David Tyree’s helmet grab. The undrafted wide receiver from Kentucky — via the CFL — made the first catch of his NFL career an acrobatic 44-yard gain. And he tied the score near halftime with an 11-yard TD reception.

Butler did it. Rookie defensive back Malcolm Butler rebounded from Jermaine Kearse’s breathtaking catch to sneak in front of Ricardo Lockette for the title-clinching pick.

Look at Lynch go. Tailback Marshawn Lynch caffeinated the Seattle team with his relentless style. He wore down the Pats in the second half, but was a spectator on Seattle’s final offensive play.

Worst

Pass fail. Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell called one of the worst plays in Super Bowl history. With Seattle at the Patriots’ 1-yard line, clock to crunch and Marshawn Lynch frothing, Russell Wilson fired a pick to rookie DB Malcolm Butler.

Lane change. Jeremy Lane boasted that the Seahawks would stop Rob Gronkowski. The cornerback intercepted Tom Brady — the quarterback’s first red-zone pick in the playoffs since 2007 — but never returned. Lane broke his left arm when he was tackled.

Bad Bruce. Seattle’s Bruce Irvin was ejected after starting a brawl as the Pats attempted to run out the clock.

Game balls

Tom Brady
He overcame two poor decisions on picks to stage a legacy-defining fourth-quarter drive. Picking on the injury-ravaged Seahawks secondary, Brady eluded pressure, stepping up in the pocket to find Julian Edelman and Shane Vereen. Brady set a Super Bowl record for completions with 37. None was bigger than his last. He found Edelman for a go-ahead touchdown in a fourth quarter that was as impressive as it was convincing.

Malcolm Butler
The undrafted rookie from West Alabama made a play that will provide him free dinners for life in the greater Boston area. After wide receiver Jermaine Kearse pulled off a David Tyree moment with a bobbling, falling catch against Butler, the cornerback responded moments later. With the Seahawks inexplicably passing from the 1-yard line, Butler jumped a slant to Ricardo Lockette. He picked off the pass, sealing an improbable fourth-quarter comeback.

Chris Matthews
The undrafted wide receiver from Kentucky delivered the best game of his life on the biggest stage. He entered the game with no NFL receptions. As in zero. He caught a 44-yard pass that set up a score, then hauled in an 11-yard touchdown. He eclipsed 100 yards but missed out on a trip to Disneyland when the Seahawks failed on their final drive.

PHOENIX — The Broncos lost four regular-season games this season. The Rockies would consider that a good week. Denver won its division and lost its head coach, John Fox mutually parting ways for more security in Chicago. The Rockies have never won a division title.

The differences between my current and former beat remain stark. The NFL masters the event, creating drama, hype and interest from all demographics. As a noted columnist told me when I first traveled covering the NFL in 1997, “Football is one-night stand. Baseball is a romance.” The World Series can’t compete with football. Attention spans have changed. Only a Game 7 draws a strong audience as baseball has become a regional sport. Passion remains strong in cells, but is not universal once a city’s team is eliminated.

The Seahawks and Patriots face off in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (Timothy A. Clary, AFP, Getty Images)

A roundup of intriguing headlines, photos, Tweets and more in advance of Super Bowl XLIX, between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in Glendale, Ariz. (4:30 p.m. MT):

This could be the worst Super Bowl ever
On Sunday, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will be among the most talented teams to take the field in the Super Bowl. But great-seeming matchups didn’t translate into great Super Bowls. (FiveThirtyEight)

Seahawks offer Marshawn Lynch huge contract extension
The deal is believed to include more than $10 million for Lynch in the 2015 season alone. Lynch currently is slated to make $5 million in 2015, the final year of what originally was a four-year, $31 million deal. (NFL.com)

Why Super Bowl repeats are so rare
Half of the past eight Super Bowl champions failed to even make the playoffs the next season, and the last to even win a single playoff game was the 2005 Patriots. (ESPN)

Six plays that will swing the Super Bowl
What will decide Sunday’s Super Bowl is a handful of specific plays and schemes that each team has come to rely on—and whether the opposing team can stop them. (The Wall Street Journal)

When: 4:30 p.m. Sunday vs. the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

What’s up: Brady is under suspicion of having one of his ball boys deflate the game balls below required specifications before the Patriots’ AFC championship game two weeks ago against the Indianapolis Colts. The Pats won 45-7. In the first half, when the balls were deflated, Brady completed 11-of-21 passes while posting a 60.6 rating. New England was up 17-7 at halftime. After the balls were filled to regulation at halftime, Brady in the second half went 12-of-14 with a 145.2 rating. The Pats outscored the Colts, 28-0 in the second half.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.